As I write, it’s 9:20 p.m., and I am trying to learn the contract software I’ll use in my new gig as a REALTOR®, but instead, I got distracted by the dinging on Facebook…and now I’ve got potty training on my mind.
I am in an “Oh Crap Potty Training Unofficial Book Club” Facebook group, and I oftentimes respond to parents’ desperate requests for help because, let’s face it, potty training sucks! Potty training my now threenager was, by far, the hardest thing I’ve had to do as a parent. It’s also the only time I’ve read a parenting book since having both my babies. I am under the impression that, as parents, we ultimately know what to do when it comes to our children, unless there really is a severe issue. I’ve also found that friends who like to read and read and read and then Google are the ones whose imaginations run wild, causing more stress. Stop trying to figure everything out, and just do what works best for you and your kids. You’re likely very intelligent and a great parent already, but all bets are off when it comes to potty training.
It’s hard, and it’s emotionally draining for everyone involved, but I had no clue where to start, so I did read. One book. I highly recommend “Oh Crap! Potty Training; Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right” by Jamie Glowacki. It was a no BS-type of book, and it made me realize how disciplined and committed we’d have to be once we decided to start training. My suggestion, read the book before attempting potty training. There are even cliffs notes at the end, should you or your significant other not have time to read. I know there are some who claim their kids were trained in three days, but that wasn’t the case for us. It took us about two months, but she was day and night trained at the end of it. This post is not meant to deter or scare, but it is a dose of reality, and I hope it’s somewhat encouraging too. I seem to have become a potty training guru amongst my friends, hence my reason for this post.
Here’s how to start. Pookie watched and helped me put all of her diapers in a big garbage bag, and we took them to the outside trash can. (Of course I went back and hid them in the house later. Those things aren’t cheap people.) She was either completely naked or wearing just a shirt for a week, and we were at home that entire week, just Pookie, a four-month old and me. (Set aside at least three full days.) And talk about stir crazy. I didn’t realize Pookie and I were depressed until we took a trip to the zoo as a family a week after starting. It was like God parted the sky, and this beam of light shone down on us.
One of my best tricks…I gave her a ton of pedicures. I’d sit outside or in the bathroom with a bowl full of warm water while she sat on her potty. I’d soak her feet, and then leave one foot in the bowl, while I painted the toenails on her other foot. She would inevitably go pee, but in the moment I thought she’d never be able to go without having a pedicure. Continue reading “Potty Training, Not for the Faint of Fart”